ARTICLES ABOUT WATER TANK BY DATE - PAGE 2

Financing will be the biggest obstacle as the City of Hagerstown moves forward to overhaul its water system, City Utilities Director Mike Spiker said during a Tuesday city council work session. Spiker said the plan, which is expected to cost about $81.2 million, includes 19 projects and could take nearly 30 years to complete. Workers currently are installing a water tank on Hagerstown's West End near U.S. 40.

Developments could generate $2.65 million in revenue City Planning Director Kathleen Maher told the Hagerstown City Council Tuesday that four developments, when they're finished, could generate about $2.65 million in annual property and income tax revenue. "Growth is having a good impact and is bringing a promising outlook for the future," she said. The developments are Hager's Crossing, Greenwich Park, Hillside Manor and Cortland (Manor and Villas). Maher said the city could use the additional revenue, among other things, to buy a fire engine and hire more firefighters and police officers.

HAGERSTOWN - The City of Hagerstown will borrow roughly $6.46 million to replace the West End Reservoir with a state-of-the-art water tank. During a Tuesday special session, the City Council voted 5-0 to borrow the money from the Maryland Department of the Environment. City Finance Director Alfred Martin said the interest rate will be 0.9 percent over a 20-year period. Before the council met, Martin said the interest rate is about one-fourth of what the city would pay on the open market and will save taxpayers about $200,000 a year.

HAGERSTOWN - Hagerstown city officials will hold a public meeting this afternoon to discuss blasting procedures associated with the construction of a water tank on the city's West End. City Utilities Director Michael Spiker said city officials and the project's engineers will meet with concerned residents at 5 p.m. at the end of Rock Willow Avenue, just north of U.S. 40 - the site of the tank's construction. The project involves building a covered 6.4 million gallon concrete water tank to replace the existing West End reservoir, which is outdated and beyond reasonable repair, Spiker wrote in a city memorandum.

Pat Vores and her 6-year-old grandson, Nolan Vores, water flowers early Wednesday along Main Street in Waynesboro, Pa. Volunteers rotate the weekly watering duties, working from a golf cart equipped with a water tank.

HAGERSTOWN-includes demolishing the reservoir on the City of Hagerstown's West End, city utilities director Michael Spiker said. The plan also calls for building a 6.4 million-gallon water tank on the north side of U.S. 40 in the Rock Willow Park area, directly across from the existing reservoir, he said. "At present, we do not need any funds from sources other than MDE," Spiker said. He said the project must be completed to satisfy the Safe Drinking Water Act Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule.

The Maryland Department of the Environment has committed to funding a $7.1 million project that includes demolishing the reservoir on the City of Hagerstown's West End, city utilities director Michael Spiker said. The plan also calls for building a 6.4 million-gallon water tank on the north side of U.S. 40 in the Rock Willow Park area, directly across from the existing reservoir, he said. "At present, we do not need any funds from sources other than MDE," Spiker said. He said the project must be completed to satisfy the Safe Drinking Water Act Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule.

SMITHSBURG - Smithsburg's Town Council plans to add a third water storage tank at a cost of about $800,000, in the coming year, said Mayor Mildred "Mickey" Myers. Groundwork has begun on Federal Lookout Road, where the tank will be placed next to the town's other water storage tanks. The council hoped to pay for the third tank with grants, but found that such grants were almost impossible to get, Myers said. Now, the council is looking into the possibility of paying with a low-interest loan from the state, she said.